Nevada County official: Woman, in handcuffs, runs from authorities

A Nevada City woman accused of giving authorities a wrong name and then running from them while handcuffed remained in jail Tuesday under bond, reports state.

Emma Aoloni St. Clair, 19, and Todd Ian Chappell, 32, both are accused of being found inside a 1993 white Dodge Caravan that was reported stolen. Wanted on unrelated charges, St. Clair ran from deputies after they found her and Chappell on the side of Highway 49, near Uren Street, sheriff's Capt. Shannan Moon said.

"They both are still in custody," she said Tuesday afternoon.

St. Clair is charged with false personation; having stolen property; resisting, delaying or obstructing a public officer and two unrelated misdemeanor charges. Her bond is $17,500, authorities said.

Chappell, of Nevada City, is charged with having stolen property and an unrelated misdemeanor. His bond is $25,000, reports state.

Authorities discovered the stolen Dodge after responding Sunday to reports of a missing vehicle in Penn Valley. A deputy made a report and entered the vehicle's license tag number into a database, Moon said.

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An officer spotted the missing Dodge on the side of Uren Street after 5:30 p.m. Monday. That officer saw the license plate, realizing the vehicle was stolen, she added.

St. Clair, Chappell and a third person were inside the Dodge. The third person, who deputies determined had no role in the missing vehicle, was released, the captain said.

"St. Clair initially provided a false name to authorities," Moon added. "It was the name of an actual person."

The deputy placed St. Clair in handcuffs to detain her, and at some point she ran from the scene and was caught. St. Clair then gave her actual name to authorities, who discovered she had two outstanding warrants, Moon said.